Where Most of the World’s Kiwis Are Grown

Where Most of the World’s Kiwis Are Grown

Fruit is like candy in nature. Fruit is the never-ending wheel of deliciousness we love and adore because it comes in a huge range of sizes, colors, shapes, and levels of sweetness. You can squeeze citrus fruits into Moscow mules, Tom Collins cocktails, and frozen margaritas. On the other hand, sweeter fruits are great for decorating fruit tarts, pies, and cakes and making them look nice. People are used to eating apples, grapes, bananas, and watermelon, but Statista says that the kiwi, also known as the Chinese gooseberry, only makes a small amount of fruit every year and is often forgotten.

The kiwi fruit is round, fuzzy, and brown. When you cut it open, it turns a beautiful green color. WebMD says that both the skin and the small, black seeds inside a kiwi can be eaten. The seeds are in a circle around the fruit's center. Overall, they are a pretty fruit with a crazy tasty and texture. And despite their name, they are mostly grown in the East.

The gooseberry from China

Like its name suggests, the Chinese gooseberry comes from China. Statistics Have It says that mainland China is still the biggest producer. New Zealand and Italy come in second and third, but they aren't even close to China's production. China grew more than 2,230 metric tons of kiwis in 2020, making it the biggest producer of that fruit.

The history of the kiwi Britannica says that the kiwi, or Actinidia deliciosa, came from mainland China and still grows there. They are farmed there and sold all over the world. According to the Royal Horticultural Society, they still grow wild in China. History shows that people in China during the Song dynasty ate the fruit, but it was mostly used as medicine.

It's okay if you're thinking that the kiwi fruit has always made you think of New Zealand because of this. You chose to put the kiwi fruit with the island country for a good reason. Alimentarium says that New Zealand liked the fruit, which was called a Chinese gooseberry at the time, in 1904. In order to better market the fruit to the U.S. during the Cold War, it was given the name of the country's national bird in the 1950s, which is how it got its name.

Know more about the kiwi

Growing on pretty vines, the kiwi fruit is picked at different times around the world, according to Purdue University. This means that you can buy them almost all year long. They are mostly grown in the East, but some states in the US, like California, also grow a lot of them.

When compared to figs and apricots, kiwis are usually eaten fresh. Like many fresh fruits, they are very good for you. Healthline says that kiwi fruits have a lot of antioxidants and vitamins C and E. There is also insoluble and soluble fiber in kiwis that helps your body digest food. When shopping for these little guys, Oscar says to look for fruits that are full and soft, with no bruises or wrinkles. If you can only find kiwis that feel firm, though, don't be afraid to grab them. Kiwis will keep getting riper after they've been picked, just like bananas.